Our very own Chef Julie Darling, Founder and President of “Just Call Us Volunteers” will be attending the First Lady Michelle Obama’s South Lawn Series kick-off of “Chefs Move to Schools” initiative on June 4, 2010.

Nina Garin’s article from Sunday, May 29th edition of the Union Tribune:

Chef, food stylist part of Obama nutrition push

Two local food professionals are on their way to the White House.

Thanks to their volunteer efforts at Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in National City, Julie Darling and Marie Kelley were picked to attend the launch of Michelle Obama’s new initiative, “Chefs Move to Schools.”

Part of the first lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign, this latest program kicks off Friday and pairs chefs with area schools to teach kids about nutrition and cooking. Darling and Kelley will be among the White House guests to offer input about the rollout of the program.

“I’m a big fan of what the first lady is doing with kids and I’m honored to be included in this,” said Darling, while in the middle of making succotash from ingredients grown at Olivewood.

Darling, a caterer and personal chef, volunteers 20 hours a week at Olivewood, an organic garden and kitchen facility that has been adopted by the philanthropic group Les Dames d’Escoffier. Every day, a local chef teaches Olivewood Elementary School kids how to plant, compost and cook meals made from fresh ingredients.

Kelley, who is on the international board of Les Dames d’Escoffier and is a food stylist, has been working since the early 1990s on the issue of food reform in schools. This is her second trip to the White House.

This 2 minute slideshow gives you a quick look at all of the types of work our volunteers have done over the past 6 months.  Everything from preparing “real food” for the homeless shelters, to making blankets for the Metro Hotel, to our latest fun endeavor – helping Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center teach kids about preparing healthy food they have just picked from the garden.   Special Thanks to Josh Woodward for allowing his music to be used for things like this.  Click here to visit his website.

Click here to learn more about the work that Chef Kim Moreira and Chef Julie Darling of Just Call Us Catering and Just Call Us Volunteers are contributing toward this years “Fruit of the Soul” event. This years event will be held October 16, 2010 at Specialty Produce.

Fruit of the Soul is “an annual fundraiser to support the preservation of music, art & sustainable education in San Diego. We believe that music, art and nutrition ARE the fruit of our souls & the preservation of such in our educational system is necessary for our youth’s left and right brain creativity and growth.”

Here’s some of the other work Just Call Us Volunteers is doing. We are introducing San Diego Chefs and other Food professionals to Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in National City, California. They are volunteering their time & expertise to help teach children fun easy & yummy garden fresh recipes.

Caron Golden of Foodstuff San Diego was our first of many professionals volunteering her time and experience with the kids at Olivewood. View the video below to see Caron get some help making zucchini pancakes from the children at San Diego County’s Olivewood Gardens.

San Diego Chef Julie Darling of Just Call Us Catering uses her passion for recruiting volunteer chefs, food writers and cooks to bring chefs to Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center to help children have a hands-on interaction in the production of organic fruit and vegetables – from the garden to the kitchen and to the table. If would like to get involved contact Chef Julie at www.justcalluscatering.com or www.justcallusvolunteers.org.

Janice from the Alpha Project delivered this plaque at “Just Call Us Kitchen Rental” business for Chef Julie Darling and the volunteers of “Just Call Us Volunteers”. What a sweet surprise. Janice said the residents of the San Diego Winter Shelter and Metro Hotel always ask when we’re coming back. They love when we serve them. And we love them right back. This is such a great honor and we cherish it. Thank you Janice and the Alpha Project.

Presented by the Alpha Project

Correction to previous post: We are serving the Veterans Homeless Shelter instead of the Veteran’s Village as reported previously. Also see location and contact info below:

We’ll be serving corned beef and cabbage to our homeless friends on Sunday March 14. We’ll be doing prep on Sat the 13th. We need about 10 volunteers on Saturday starting at 10am to help us make desserts and on Sunday we’ll need about 10 volunteers for prep starting at 10am and 30 to help us serve. (10 volunteers at each of the 3 locations in San Diego, CA: The Metro Hotel & The Winter Shelter downtown and Veterans Homeless Shelter.

Let us know if you can help prep or serve (or both!). We’ll be serving on Sunday at 3:30, but if you are just serving, please meet us at at 2:00pm so that we can split into our groups, load up and head to the serving sites together.

Food preparations and meet-up to caravan to the shelters for serving will be at Chef Julie’s commercial kitchen:
Just Call Us Kitchen Rental
4445 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Phone: 619.306.2765

We also need 30 cases of water, cash donations, 600 paper plates (not styrofoam please) 600 forks, knives, spoons and napkins as well as cases of apples and oranges. Please let me know if you can help us by donating any of these items.

And remember Chef Kim says pull your hair back and please wear closed toed shoes.

We’re looking forward to cooking and serving with you again. Much Love, Julie, Kim and Angie

Chef Julie at the Winter Shelter

See our very own Chef Julie, CEO of “Just Call Us Volunteers” interview as Specialty Produce Featured Chef and video demonstration of her making Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette.

Click here to see interview and video.

Happy Valentine’s Day! We are so excited on so many levels I’m not sure where to start!!!

We are teaming up with Embrace a non profit that is all about feeding the homeless. We have found a kindrid spirit in Sean Sheppard! I can’t wait for you to meet him!

We are serving a late lunch on Saturday, February 13, 2010, to 100 of our friends on the streets and on Sunday, February 14, 2010, we are serving early dinners to the 200 Winter Shelter guests and 200 to the Metro residents. Big news is we are adding 150 meals served at the Homeless Veteran’s shelter called Veteran’s Village of San Diego.

We’ll need volunteers starting on Saturday 10 am until maybe 7 ish and Sunday volunteers starting at 10 am until maybe 6 ish. We will be staggering the serving times so we’ll need volunteers all day here and there. Please don’t think you have to commit to more time than you have to give.

Let me know your availability (times – day). Click on the “contact us” menu above or on Facebook Fan Page “Just Call Us Volunteers”. I’ll keep track from there and will send out upated emails. We are soooo excited!!!!!

As in the past, we will prep at the new “Just Call Us Kitchen Rental” kitchen and caravan downtown to serve.

Can’t wait to see you and show you around the new kitchen

Chef Julie

Just Call Us Catering & Kitchen Rental
4445 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117 US

Please join Just Call Us Volunteers this weekend. We will start on Saturday January 30, 2010 from 10 am until around 5pm.

We will prep and get ready for Sunday when we will finish cooking and round up at the kitchen at noon and caravan downtown to serve our guests at the San Diego Winter Shelter for the Homeless. This is a simple hot meal (compared to Thanksgiving) and should be an easy event for our experienced volunteers and a great opportunity for new volunteers to come out and see what we are all about.

Our menu this weekend is turkey noodle soup, fresh green salad, cornbread, brownies, apples, oranges and waters. We’d love to have you join us!!!

Prep work and cooking will be at Chef Julie’s new commercial kitchen, “Just Call Us Kitchen Rental” located at 4445 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117. Contact ChefJulie@me.com for more information or just show up!

Our next impromptu serving opportunity will be Sunday Jan 31. Remember all the left over gravy, turkey & stock at Christmas? Well…Chef Julie’s had it in the freezer and we’re going to cook up some yummy turkey vegetable & noodle soup, make some cornbread and a salad and head on downtown. Dinner will be 2 ish on Sunday and Soup making will be on Saturday.

Please let us know if you’re available to help us. We’ll need maybe 15 or 20 peeps to pull this off. Click on the “Contact Us” tab on the main menu or email chefjulie@me.com.

Also Chris Decker from Decker Bros. Liquid Lunch is donating soup for the day too. (His soups can be found at tons of delis and cafes across San Diego). Thanks Chris!!

If you can’t make it the 31st don’t forget the Sexy Valentines Dinner we’re planning on Sunday Feb 14th!!!! We will need lots of pink and white & red desserts lots of chocolate stuff too…. get ‘yer’ baking gear on

We will need volunteer bakers for Valentines!